Cleaning Out: More of Same

I can't say I've all that much progress since last week.  I did find a lid to the big empty cardboard box (still) sitting in the living room.  The cats have grown bored with it now.  I also passed along the bag of yarn to T, one of my bf's.  I pulled another box from the back bedroom closet to sort through.  Since it was Christmas decorations, I set it to one side.  I would like to do all the Christmas stuff in one project.  If I split it up, I'll forget what I already saved.

I've been plagued by recurrences of Pink Eye.  Staying home and sorting through boxes has been about as productive as I can get.  Hopefully, with some powerful antibiotic eye drops and a brand new pillow, I have the infection conquered.  Aside from some allergy flare ups, I'm feeling good, but I was minimizing my outings for a while.

While I was sorting the small box of office stuff last week, I thought of some stuff that my dad had in a container in the backroom.  This is not to be confused with the back bedroom.  The backroom houses the washer and dryer, stacks of give-away bags and boxes, the treadmill (currently covered with boxes), the kitty litter pans, and various yard/gardening products. And THE DESK.  Capital letters are necessary.  It is a ginormous monstrosity of oak designed for use with a PC.  It is large enough to house three PC's, office equipment and office supplies for a medium-sized company, and a partridge in a pear tree.  Oh, and the kitchen sink.

I've spoken often of my father, especially as related to this Great Clean-Out of 2010.  THE DESK is a perfect example of how men feel size matters.  It measures over five feet wide, three feet deep and four+ feet tall.  The upper half is a roll top, which locks.  And I actually have the key for it.  The bottom includes a fold-down, pull out space for a keyboard; a drawer on the right side that can hold printers and paper; and three drawers on the left side for files and office supplies.  The bottom locks separately from the top, and, yes, I actually have the key for that, too!  Behind the roll-top are numerous cubbies and slots and ports for electricity and phone lines.  There was even a built-in clock, but when I removed the front to put new batteries in it, I sorta broke it.  I think.  I really don't know because I lost the piece I took off.

That small box of office supplies from the back bedroom closet was the stuff from the two smaller drawers.  That box was the impetus behind my diversion to the backroom.  I thought if I was going to get the office supplies sorted, I may as well get them all together.  So I did.  Well, at least all that I could find.  There was another container of stuff on top of THE DESK which held such items as an electric label-maker, ribbons for the label-maker, light timers, a tray of slides (from about 1952) and the California Raisins.

I put the tray of slides with the other two trays I had found up in my closet.  I was going to take them to Sam's Club, where they will put 50 slides on a disc for $19.86.  At 34 cents for each slide after that, or doing three discs of 50, I figure it would cost close to $60.  I think I'm going to get pricing elsewhere.  My photographer niece gave me the name of a place in LaGrange that should be reasonable.  I mean, who doesn't want to preserve slides from a 1952 trip to the zoo?  Have elephants changed since then?  Have mountain goats evolved in the last almost 60 years?  But my mother wants them preserved, so preserve them I shall.  Since Brookfield Zoo opened in 1934, I don't even know which zoo it was.

Okay, I'll explain the California Raisins.  Sheesh, you people are impatient.  Remember about 25 years ago there were commercials for California raisins that featured anthropomorphized raisins?  You know, singing and playing musical instruments?  Well, for reasons I can't explain (and probably don't want to know) my father purchased these little figures.  The California Raisins.  I think Stevie Wonder did the voice of one of the singers in the commercials.  Or was it Ray Charles?  Anyway, they were a big hit and lasted about five years.  There were a couple of TV specials made using the Raisins and, at least, one video.  I know because Brittany has the video.  My mother didn't want me to get rid of the Raisin figures.  If they had been in good condition, they might have been worth something to collectors.  But they had been chewed on by my teething toddler and, later, by teething kittens.  One was covered in an unidentifiable goop.  I might have tried washing it, but didn't think it'd be worth my while.  I had to wait until my mother was watching the TV before I could throw them out.

 My dad had only seven of the figures.

I said in a previous posting that someone needs to take my mother out so I can clean.  When she's there, she doesn't want me to throw anything out.  I had to explain that the pens were dried out, the rubber bands shriveled up, etc., to even get rid of that stuff!

I suppose I'll return to the back bedroom closet tomorrow.  Or the next day.  I may have to just stay in the back bedroom rather than bringing the boxes into the living room.  That way, no one will be watching me.  But, knowing my mother, she'll have to see what I'm doing.  She's almost as bad as Tabitha.